Wells: Murray City Alcohol Sales ‘Positive’

Nearly a year after Murray voted to allow package alcohol sales the city's Mayor says the move has had a positive economic impact. Mayor Bill Wells says the city has used money to fund resource officers in two city schools, and may authorize a third officer in the elementary school.

Wells says the general fund dollars previously budgeted for law enforcement currently remain with law enforcement. He says the additional $1 million in projected alcohol tax revenue will also go toward alcohol enforcement and education.

Wells says there is some debate as to how far statutes define “enforcement,” but one thing is certain, he says – there have been few negatives for the city from expanded sales.

“I know that we had some council members who were concerned maybe about a high level of DUIs that would happen,” he says. “Actually, they’re about the same if not lower then they were before.”

Wells says officials will attend a summit in Louisville next month where he hopes toclarify the scope of a city’s use of alcohol funds.